tomoates.tv

The post below is my submission to a Call For Papers from Flowtv.org, a forum published by the Radio, Television and Film department at the University of Texas at Austin.
The Topic - Sports Media: Tensions and Transitions, with specific focus on the changes in response to a growing social media presence.

——————————

History and the records we keep form our standards for comparison and our platforms for growth.
We must remind ourselves growth does not equate to improvement, only change.

The relationship between sport and fan has grown in intensity, fostered by advancing and multiplying venues designed to connect the two groups.
However, corporate financial influence, combined with an explosion of communication – specifically user-generated content – is altering this relationship by creating a gap in perception, economy, and culture.

———-

The grainy, black and white archival film replays a familiar but distant scene:

The Polo Grounds, Ebbets Field, ‘old’ Comiskey Stadium, filled with fans whose emotion and reaction to the play on the field mimics the modern day scenes unfolding within the amusement park-digital amphitheater hybrids hosting today’s games.

But notice the differences of those fans of the past: the white male-dominant crowd in formal dress. Letting their emotions spill toward a group of men playing a child’s game.

Today, the emotion of the fans remains the same. But the faces are painted. Bodies are draped with replicas of their favorite team’s uniforms. Eyes affixed to cameraphones and jumbotrons as much to the games unfolding on the manicured fields below; these fans attend the games to both see and be seen.

———-

So when did the change occur?

Television. The first mass direct connection between sport and fan.

Radio, although with a wide reach, sports were narrated to us through a filter. Dictated by a host whose singular perceptions formed the fan’s mythical image of the play.
Television allowed the fans’ debate to begin – you saw it for yourself!
Only through attending the game did fans of the past receive the evidence of athletic achievement.

The audiences grew exponentially – the business of sports began.

Television rights became cherished. Advertisers ran – cash in hand –to appeal to the masses.
Cable television appeared; professional and major college sports hit the jackpot. ESPN, SkySports, Fox Sports fed an ever-growing demand for more games, more news, more connections to the games people play.
The expanding audience presented a financial opportunity. Leagues took advantage. Salaries grew; athletes became million-dollar commodities.

Radio’s opportunity also appeared. Instead of turning toward the games themselves, the dial turned into the fans.
The phone lines lit up as Sports-Talk Radio built the fan’s original playing field. The masses were handed a platform for their unfiltered message; now the fan had an audience to play for.

With athletes, coaches, and leagues receiving more attention, the celebrity culture of sports expanded.
NBA Hall of Fame inductee Michael Jordan is credited with being the first ‘cross-over’ athlete, with his fame and influence expanding beyond the arenas and into a mainstream culture.
Jordan’s image moved away from athletic-related products, to underwear, phone companies and mass-consumed soft drinks.

The athlete became a mega-star, America’s royalty.

Jordan was more popular than the sport he dominated.
And this was nearly a decade before the Internet became a curiosity.

———-

During the introduction of the ‘cross-over’ athlete, a highly visible television ad for consumer cameras featured tennis star Andre Agassi. The ad’s prophetic tagline: “Image Is Everything.”

As the cameras kept recording, and ‘highlights’ slipped into our daily jargon, fans found themselves as participants. The crowd became the personality of the event. An expectation grew: to see and be seen.

The advancement of communication technology – specifically the Internet – has opened the power of public publishing.
Personal blogs, message boards, social networking profile pages all allow the individual voice to be heard - unfiltered. Fans were given a new forum for debate, support and opinion to swell.

As news-gathering organizations continued attempting to adhere to the ethics of journalism, the demands - coming from two distinctly different groups, consumers and industry shareholders – screamed for broadening coverage. Even after the final scores were determined, athletes remained media figures.

Stretching to find further information, the voice of the fan is beginning to become a voice of record.
Blogs and message boards are being treated as additional sources of information – not for game strategy or athletic performance, but for opinion and fan feedback.
The fan now has more than a voice and an audience. The fan has power.
The relationship is changing.

———-

Opinion leads to feeling. Feeling leads to action. Action leads to results.
Fans – especially those whose dollars support a sports franchise – have affected the hiring and firing of coaches, along with the draft and trade choices of team executives.

Armed with empowerment, the tools of expression continue to stoke the flames of “fan-damonium.”

Everyone can publish, so everyone can control a message.
A New York Times article from September 16, 2009 profiled three high-profile college quarterbacks, each extremely wary of ever-present camera phones, not knowing if and when anonymous photos can be plastered across public Internet sites.

Former Iowa State basketball coach Larry Eustachy and Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps were both ‘caught’ (Eustachy drinking at a college party, Phelps smoking marijuana) by cellphone cameras. The resulting pictures found mass audience on the Internet.
Eustachy was let go by Iowa State; Phelps lost endorsement opportunities.

Social networking and corresponding social media platforms allow everyone to reach an audience cheaply and without filters.
And remember, Sports figures are people, too.

To either combat rumors and misperceptions, further advance popularity and financial opportunity, or to provide a direct, unfiltered connection with fans, athletes are publishing.

Former Major League pitcher Curt Schilling, NFL players Chad Ochocinco and Chris Cooley, and NBA center Shaquille O’Neal are only examples of how athletes use social media communication platforms increase or maintain presence within our society.

However, these platforms do not guarantee any celebrity’s ability to completely control their image. A Washington Post Article from September 17, 2009 detailed the ‘fake’ Twitter accounts of members of the Washington Capitals.
Not viewed as an invasion of privacy, and allowed by Twitter, the ‘fake’ accounts are created by others pretending to be the athletes (although in the ‘bio’ of the Twitter accounts, it is stated the holder of the account is not the actual athlete).
The Post article noted some athletes, including O’Neal, create Twitter pages to ensure the public other accounts bearing their names were created by imposters.

The fan’s actions can force athletes to change habits or create boundaries. The relationship is changing.

———-

The business of sports creates an ever-growing demand for success.
Success on the field intertwines with success off the field – the profit margin.
Any advantage is treasured; distraction is avoided. Sponsors, season-ticket holders and rights fees are just as important as victories and championships.

The dilemma for the high-cost, high-profit professional sports leagues and teams is: How can you control your valuable image in an era of technology where the message is almost uncontrollable?

Under the shield of competition, teams are instructing their employees (athletes, for the most part) to limit their publishing to non-team related subjects, less an opponent gain a competitive advantage.

To help control a positive image, leagues are creating social media standards and policies, attempting to avoid any negative attention with their employees (athletes, for the most part) expressing any frustration or other negative feelings.
Negative attention can lead to drops in support…and revenue.
The expanding audience is a financial opportunity. Leagues are taking advantage.

———-

The sound bites, opinions, rumors are coming from every computer, television, phone and text message – each in a different direction with different intent.

o Fans attend games, publishing nearly real-time photos and thoughts, becoming an interactive part of the ‘game-time experience’.
o Athletes provide their reactions through a few keystrokes, bypassing the waiting post-game news conference microphones.
o Leagues sell Internet broadcast rights, create web sites, and monitor chat rooms to help maintain additional revenue streams.
o Media utilize additional forms of communication, attempting to maintain a valid presence as both an objective source of information and a clearinghouse of additional thoughts and ideas.

We are passionate about sports.
The fans’ voices blanket the playing field with emotion.

Today’s emotion extends beyond the stadium. Roaring through phones, text messages, desktops and computer speakers.

The fan doesn’t need to walk through a turnstile to be close to the playing field. Wi-Fi and broadband replace ticket stubs. Screen grabs and snapshots replace narrated images scratched from a radio.

There is another television ad reflecting the current relationship between fan and sport. This ad does not feature a team or an athlete, but promotes communication.

The appropriate tagline: “Can You Hear Me Now?”

———-

admin Communications 101 media, message, Social Media

We (ok, really it’s just me) spend a good amount effort here addressing communicating for business.

One aspect of business communicating we don’t touch much is the personal side of business communicating: when your job is to acquire a job.

Earlier this week, I attended an event sponsored by the Washington, DC chapter of IABC.  The featured speaker was Kate Perrin, CEO and founder of PRofessional Solutions, LLC, the first public relations temporary agency in the DC area.

Being the times we live in, a number of attendees were involuntary “persons of leisure”, and in search of employment.

The event host asked for those looking for jobs to informally introduce themselves to the group.  Being the times we live in, this portion of the event took a longer-than-usual amount of time.

We heard lengthy lists of previous jobs, education backgrounds, and a variety of reasons for unemployment from each communications professional.

Upon hearing all of these elevator pitches, Kate Perrin scolded the entire group.

It appears, even when talking about ourselves, many of us forget a vital rule in communicating effectively: Know Your Audience.

What does a hiring manager or potential employer want to know? It’s an easy question.

1. What do you want to do?
2. What can you do for me?

Kate gave some simple tips to help job seekers.

Tell us what you want to do. This is especially true for networking situations. Label yourself not by what you used to do, but what you want to do.  Help those potential contacts by letting them know how to view you & sell you to others.  Too many of the elevator pitches we heard at the IABC event spent all or most of their time listing previous jobs or background experience, not career goals or ideal positions the job seekers were searching for.

Link your relevant experience to the job you’re applying for. OK, this means doing a little bit of work to tailor your resume, but hopefully you are only applying for jobs you want.  Your resume has to do the talking for you; tell an employer you have the experience to do what they’re asking for.

Do some research. I don’t put much effort into reading cover letters addressed to “Sir or Madam”, “Hiring Manager”, or even “Executive Producer”.

If a prospective employee shows they’ve visited the EFX Media web site, or is familiar with our work, I’ll see they’ve done some work to find out more about the company. This tells me they want to work with us.

Desire is huge for those looking to hire; we constantly ask and attempt to evaluate things we can’t see in a resume: work ethic, personality, perseverance, the ability to be self-sufficient, and desire.  If I know someone will be ‘low-maintenance’ and highly productive, they will get consideration - even if they don’t have a great deal of experience.

The basis of each of these tips come under the idea job seekers should view their resumes, cover letters and elevator pitches not as reflections of the person writing them, but as tailored messages to the person receiving them.

Once you know what your audience responds to, you also know the most effective way to communicate to them.

When it comes to a job search: the company is your audience, you are the message.

Speak directly to your audience. Speak directly to their needs

admin Communications 101 audience, IABC

From a recent discussion posted on Pay-on-Performance’s site.

Discussion Topic: Can Vick reverse his fortunes w/the right attitude and PR strategy?

Is Michael Vick’s image repairable over time or, even if he is truly remorseful and committed, still doomed?

My Response:

Michael Vick’s image will improve because of two things:

1. Our culture of celebrity-obsession will follow & document his ‘transitional’ period (the rags-to-riches, prodigal son, same face-different place.) We will witness a change in how Vick is defined.

The images we currently see are Vick in a suit/tie coming out of a courtroom, escorted by US Marshals; the picture says “convicted felon.”

Once he lands with an NFL team, those images will be replaced with Vick in football apparel, with teammates, at practice; those pictures will say “NFL player.”

Listen to how he is described in the media - words like “return” & “comeback” will be prominent. Don’t these words portray Vick as a quarterback first, convict second?

2. His career resume’ is not complete. Once his career ends and he is out of the sports media spotlight, Vick will be judged/viewed on his ‘body of work’. As much as recent news is fresh in our minds, Vick’s entire career/public life will resonate with us 5, 10, 15 years from now.

Here are a few examples (taken from the sports/entertainment world):

Ray Lewis, NFL linebacker: viewed as one of the game’s all-time greats; a fierce competitor, leader of the 2001 Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens.

-Do you remember Ray Lewis in an Atlanta, GA jail for months in the Spring/Summer of 2000? Lewis was arrested and put on trial as an associate to murder - on the night of the 2000 Super Bowl!

Lewis agreed to a lesser guilty plea of Obstruction of Justice when no clear case could be made against him.

Lewis went back to the field, became a champion and continues to play as the Ravens open up training camp this week.

Michael Jackson‘s passing earned a week’s-worth of international media hype. The artist, entertainer, philanthropist was mourned by millions world-wide.

-In 2005, Jackson found himself in a courtroom, facing charges of: conspiracy to commit child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion, three counts of committing lewd acts upon a child, attempted lewd acts upon a child, and four counts of administering intoxicating agents to assist in the commission of a felony.

Jackson was found not guilty. Judging from the attention and retrospectives given immediately after his passing, this was not his lasting legacy.

These incidents with both men are not forgotten, but they are woven within their respective life stories.

The questions with Vick are:

1. How long before the ‘re-definition’ starts? He’s not on any NFL roster yet. His current story involves the attempt to get on a NFL roster. His “comeback” has not begun.

2. How long will the protests last? Vick will not win back the entire public. His actions were without excuse and despicable. PETA and other animal rights supporters may present a public backlash to Vick’s presence; this will only keep his felony charges fresh in our minds, hampering the ‘re-branding’ of Michael Vick.

3. When Vick reaches a roster (and he will), how well will he play? The more media attention Vick receives for his play, the more cheers he receives on Sunday afternoons…the percentage of his ‘body of work’ taken up by his football play will start to overshadow the felony conviction and prison time.

4. Will he be a nice guy? We give our celebrities the benefit of the doubt. Here’s another sports example: Steroids.

Here are four Major League Baseball players all named in the 2003 list of players who failed a test for “performance-enhancing drugs”, and their respective public perceptions.

• Barry Bonds: vilified in the press, the current all-time home run producer is viewed as surly and confrontational. He’s out of baseball; persona non grata.
• Roger Clemens: after loudly stating “innocent”, the hard-throwing pitcher continues to battle a federal investigation on perjury and defamation lawsuits.
• Manny Ramirez: “Manny being Manny”, the charismatic - at times quirky - slugger returned from a 50-game suspension to the reinstatement of “Mannywood” promotions and cheers from the Los Angeles Dodgers organization and fans.
• David Ortiz: “Big Papi”, the Boston Red Sox First Baseman is heavily involved in his community, very personable and held in high regard both by his peers and Red Sox fans. Ortiz’s name was recently revealed as one of the 103 who tested positive in 2003. That night, Ortiz was greeted with cheers from “Red Sox Nation” (see live game blog), and hugs from teammates - and members of the opposing Oakland A’s.

Nice guys get the benefit of the doubt; Vick needs to start kissing babies.

admin Communications 101 media, pay-on-performance, Vick

If business (i.e. stock prices, profits) is good, the numbers speak for themselves. Not much a CEO has to say; just point to the numbers and accept the accolades.

But if business is poor, the questions, concerns and fears need to be addressed. This is where CEOs take (and show) leadership…or they update their resume’.

Being 2009, we’ve got plenty of questions for the corner office.

Proper and effective communication skills are vital to maintain employee morale and productivity, assure stockholders, and create a positive public perception.

This was the basis of a July 22 discussion led by executive and government speechwriter Jeff Porro.
Porro made it clear, many CEO’s, especially those hired from within, may lack experience communicating to large groups - and therefore the company at large.

Here are Porro’s Top 9 Communication Efforts CEOs should do in bad times.

1. Make Communication A Priority
As many CEOs - especially in poor times - spend their days managing the company, communications gets talked about, but it’s not always addressed.
When the audience (employees, shareholders, media, clients, partners) don’t hear from the CEO, fear and question sets in; this can create the appearance the company is not dealing with their issues.

2. Communicate to Motivate
Communication is not about volume. It should be used to clearly pass along information to an audience, with the intention of sparking action.
This is important for internal communications. Employees need to be informed and motivated to see their company is worth saving.

3. Take The Initiative
Communicate First. Be Proactive - especially when the numbers are poor.
Even at the hint of bad news, address it. Bad news will not go away; it should be addressed and corrected.
When a CEO takes action (communication), it displays control and leadership - what companies need when attempting a comeback.

4. Be Frank About Problems and Mistakes
This year, how many auto manufacturing CEOs talked about new programs or getting out bankruptcy? Many.
How many of those auto manufacturing CEOs actually discussed the problems in the auto industry? I haven’t heard it from the Big Three.
Porro pointed to John Krafcik, CEO of Hyundai USA.
Krafcik’s keynote address at the 2009 Chicago Auto Show called the past 28 years an “era of greed”. He addressed how auto manufacturers shunned and pushed back against environmental concerns.
Krafcik referred to the industry’s ‘horrible reputation’, saying more Americans would rather visit the dentist than a car dealership.

This is an example of a CEO who ‘got it’.

If a CEO discusses problems and mistakes, stakeholders see a CEO as accountable and willing to change shortcomings and (hopefully) gain credibility.

5. Provide a Clear Step-By-Step Recovery Plan
Candor is one thing, but people need assurance in bad times.

A plan - clearly laid out to the audience - shows vision (supporting the leadership and smart decisions companies demand from their chief executives).
You also must keep communicating the plan; show your audience the progress and steps as the company endures through a difficult economy.

6. Don’t Overpromise
This can be difficult. You can have candor and a vision, but it must be mixed with blunt realism. Optimism can get the better of all of us. If you overpromise - and the results don’t appear - your credibility can be permanently damaged.

7. Communicate in Different Ways to Different Audience
Know your audience, and know their specific needs.
Employees want to be assured the company will survive, along with any plans for layoffs or growth.
Shareholders desire clear profit and loss expectations, timelines and plans for mergers or cutbacks.
The media and other partners question if the company has clear direction from the executive suite and future product plans.
Each group needs to hear different things.
This also means communicating through different methods (employee ‘town hall meetings’, blogs and news releases, interviews.)

8. Let All The Shoes Fall At Once
It may hurt, but it’s best to rip the band-aid off quickly and completely.
Announcing restructuring, layoffs and cutbacks is tough; the news is always devastating.
If you draw out the announcements, you’re showing the company on a downward slide - enduring a series of bad news.
One day. One announcement. You hit Rock Bottom and move forward; unveiling your new plans and direction for the company.

9. Overcommunicate, Especially Internally
Your audience (employees) will always want to be updated; their jobs are their livelyhood.
By providing company-wide information, you stop people from guessing, worrying and speculating.
Employees drive your company. Keep in touch with them and hopefully create a level of trust - both in the CEO and the company as a whole.

Many of these tips create a positive perception of the CEO.  In difficult times, a CEO’s strong leadership is necessary.  Just as important is having employees, customers and shareholders believe the CEO is a qualified leader with a vision for recovery.

Effective communication creates that belief.

admin Communications 101 Corporate Communications, Jeff Porro, speech